Riddle: It is neither the most popular nor the fastest type of running, yet it is very effective. Did you answer, “Running uphill?” Great!
Of all types of training, that done by winning the incline (but going upward, not the other way around) is perhaps the most hated or at least feared. When you run uphill, whether it’s on a trail path or a street in your town (just in case you live in a hilly or mountain town), you generally struggle and go slower than on the flat. Meanwhile, as if that were not enough already, you experience the force of gravity, that is, you feel your body weight much more than on the flat.
It was always known about its effectiveness but not precisely how much and how it affected various parameters. A 2017 research study makes this clear, providing interesting points for reflection.
Thirty-two different athletes, equal preparation
The research, published in theInternational Journal of Scientific and Research Publications, was conducted by Ethiopian researchers by choosing 32 good athletes competing over distances from 800 to 10k as study subjects. Their physical characteristics were similar enough so that the level of preparation was uniform among them. As in any self-respecting research, the candidates were divided into two groups: one experimental and one control, that is, used as a baseline to see if the first group developed different performance as a result of hill training.
The control group followed a classical endurance program while the experimental group alternated flat endurance training with two weekly uphill running sessions for 12 weeks.
As mentioned, the physical performance of the two groups at the beginning of the experiment was very similar: same VO2max, same resting heart rate, same speed endurance, and homogeneous race times. The most substantial differences between them began to appear at week 6 to become consolidated in week 12: in the experimental group, VO2max had improved and so had resting heart rate and endurance. The parameter of improved resting heart rate is significant because it translates into increased endurance and increased speed (in fact, physical performance increases without further burdening the heart, in other words, the heart is able to endure greater exertion without further fatigue).
Another 2018 study confirmed these hypotheses, establishing that speed training on slopes of 10 percent improves the response of the muscles and cardiovascular system, allowing them to endure top speeds for longer. And not producing a significant number of injuries: running uphill is indeed slower (though more powerful) and, paradoxically, “lighter” than running on the flat. In fact, the body suffers less recoil than the repeated recoil it endures on the flat, and the risk of injuring oneself is more reduced.
Why running uphill is good for you
What happens to your body when you run uphill? First of all, you do more fatigue (thank you very much) and thus shift the threshold of resistance. It’s kind of like running flat with a heavy backpack: your body lines up on that effort, and when you take it off, it runs harder while making less effort. Another secondary but no less important effect is that, to run uphill, the legs “crush” the ground more and the core must, by contrast, balance this effort with more effort. As a result, running uphill also trains the core very efficiently.
Finally, to develop flat power, you need to work on the form and efficiency of the athletic gesture, filing down any imperfections. In contrast, uphill you cannot be particularly coordinated but still develop power.
How much and how should you train uphill?
For uphill training to have an effect (and it can have an effect even after only a month and a half) you must include at least one set of work in this mode per week. You can do this either on threadmill-as long as its sloping surface-or on an uphill road in your town or place where you train. You don’t need exaggerated slopes; those over 4% are already sufficient.
The hardest part comes now: that of the uphill repeats. You can distribute them progressively in both number of repetitions and duration, starting with a set of 4-5 60-second repetitions with a defatigue walk in between, then increasing to 5-6 60-second repetitions in week two, 4-6 90-second repetitions in week three, 4-6 2-minute repetitions on a greater incline (5 percent) in week four, 6-8 2 min repetitions in week five, and ending with 8-10 2-3 minute repetitions in week six. Don’t forget before each session to do 15-20 minutes of light running to warm up and end the session the same way. As you can see, the workouts last, including recoveries and warm-ups and cool-downs, from 45 minutes in week one to 60-75 minutes in week six, depending on how much recovery you do between repeats.
This is not a relaxing or particularly enjoyable workout, but if your goal is to increase muscular and cardiac endurance and increase speed, it may be worth a thought.
(From Triathlete)